Buhari charges military to step up intelligence on Chibok girls

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday charged the military to develop the appropriate intelligence and strategy to rescue the missing 219 students of Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state.

Buhari gave the charge while interacting, via video conferencing, with troops’ commanders in the north-east, shortly after laying a wreath at the cenotaph of the `unknown soldier’ at the National Arcade, Abuja.

The interaction with troops was part of the programme for the wreath laying ceremony, which was the climax of the 2016 armed forces and remembrance day celebration.

Buhari, who expressed satisfaction with the performance of the troops, said Nigerians were equally concerned about their performance and were eagerly awaiting the return of the abducted Chibok girls.

He assured them of his administration’s commitment to improving their welfare and enhancing the military’s operational readiness to deal with contemporary challenges of national security.

“I am quite impressed with what you have done so far and what you are currently doing,” he said.

“Yesterday, I met with some of the parents of the Chibok girls; the nation is anxiously waiting for you to provide the intelligence on their whereabouts and develop the strategy and tactics to recover them.

“Tell the troops that we are all concerned about their performance and I assure you the government is doing its best to make sure that they are provided with the best that is possible in terms of military hardware.

“We are also taking the issues of efficiency, logistics and your allowances seriously.”

Buhari expressed confidence in the armed forces’ ability to restore peace and order to parts of the country plagued by armed conflict and other forms of criminal activities.

Responding on behalf of the troops, Hassan Umaru, the theatre commander, `Operation Lafiya Dole’, thanked the president for the government’s support to the military.

He assured the president and Nigerians that the troops were in high spirit and determined to put an end to the menace of insurgency in the north-east.

Buhari also interacted with the air component commander of `Operation Lafiya Dole’, Bayo Amao, who was on aerial surveillance of Bitta and Gwoza general areas.

The president watched live streams of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aerial surveillance of the general areas and also streams of the activities of troops at the military command and control centre in Maiduguri.

The interaction with the troops was facilitated by the Eagle Mobile Command Post of the Armed Forces, a mobile communication facility of the military.

The facility is used to facilitate both audio and video interaction between troops in the theatre and the commanding officers at the command and control centre.

The high point of the occasion was the symbolic laying of wreath at the cenotaph of the `unknown soldier’ by Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and other dignitaries at the event.

The laying of wreath by dignitaries was followed by the gun salute, the signing of the register and the symbolic release of pigeons by the president.